There are few sights in football more pleasing than a fleet-footed forward embarking on a one-man mission to weave past all opposition defenders in their path.
In the era of methodical build-up play where systems reign supreme over individual expressionism, the art of the dribble is becoming increasingly underappreciated. But there remain those who fight back against overbearing tactical instructions to remind us all of why we fell in love with football in the first place.
There are still an array of world-class players who use the pitch as their ballroom, gliding across the turf with irrepressible grace and athleticism. They’re the performers who move audiences to the edge of their seats with their remarkable agility and precision in the narrowest of avenues.
We at Sports Illustrated have decided to collate a list of the 15 best dribblers wreaking havoc on defences across world football—and we’ve even ranked them for you.
15. Jérémy Doku
Jérémy Doku has that unstoppable blend of rapid-fire feet and blistering speed. The Manchester City star is yet to be burdened by Pep Guardiola’s tactical demands and still plays with an infectious energy, making him nigh on impossible to stop at full tilt.
The Belgian could do with fine-tuning his final product, with his mediocre tally of goal contributions not aligned with his exceptional dribbling ability, but he’s still undoubtedly one of the most feared Premier League forwards among full backs.
14. Rafael Leão
Rafael Leão is yet to reach the dizzying heights he was forecast to saunter to early in his career, but the consistency the AC Milan dynamo sometimes lacks in decisive moments is largely immaterial due to his outstanding turn of pace and sharp feet.
The Portugal international has an awe-inspiring repertoire of flicks and tricks promised to leave supporters purring, with few players more joyous to watch when in their stride.
13. Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz is still adjusting to life with Liverpool, but his sublime dribbling was one of the key factors in the Reds splashing £116 million on his services. The attacking midfielder is a menace between the lines, drifting in and out of challenges around the penalty area at will.
Bayer Leverkusen benefitted from his low centre of gravity, tricky feet and impeccable control as he fired them to the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in 2023–24, with the 22-year-old as graceful in possession as they come.
12. Rayan Cherki
The word fear does not appear in Rayan Cherki’s dictionary. The Frenchman has always been destined for greatness, emerging from Lyon’s youth system as a self-assured teenager, and his remarkable agility in tight areas helped convince Man City of his worth.
Cherki is certain to showcase his phenomenal technical ability in the Premier League, with the versatile forward equally adept at beating opposition defenders from the centre of the pitch as he is hugging the touchline.
11. Désiré Doué
Désiré Doué announced himself as a world-class talent in the 2024–25 Champions League final. It was a coming of age moment for the young Frenchman as he scored twice and assisted in the 5–0 thrashing of Inter at the end of a stellar debut season with Paris Saint-Germain.
The winger showcased his unstoppable dribbling ability in the final itself, tormenting Federico Dimarco with his pace and technical prowess, and will only build on that staggering display as the years pass by. He has the potential to climb this list in the near future.
10. Mohammed Kudus
Mohammed Kudus somewhat flies under the radar when it comes to Europe’s elite dribblers. Operating away from the continent’s traditional behemoths, the Ghana international doesn’t garner quite the same attention as many of his fellow fleet-footed peers.
But whether it be at Ajax, West Ham United or Tottenham Hotspur, the forward is formidable in possession. Kudus boasts admirable bravery on the ball and the confidence to attack defenders with speed and power, with his physicality also key to riding opposition challenges.
9. Lionel Messi
There has never been a more astonishing dribbler than Lionel Messi. The eight-time Ballon d’Or conjures up inexplicable magic with every dart beyond a defender, weaving in and out of bodies with unprecedented precision. Nobody has been able to match the Argentine’s ability to manipulate a football.
However, Messi is not quite the force he once was. He’s no longer testing himself against the world’s elite defenders on a weekly basis with Inter Miami and has lost some of the speed and agility that previously made him unplayable.
Still, he’s a wizard with the ball at his feet.
8. Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka’s brilliance has helped catapult Arsenal back to the big time, with his nimbleness key to his success. The England international often looks liquid, forming unique and interesting shapes to hurdle opposition tackles with impressive grace and balance.
Saka’s acceleration often means he’s whizzed past full backs before they’ve had chance to steady themselves, and he also possesses surprising strength for such a diminutive figure. Given how much he’s hacked to the turf, he boasts incredible durability, too.
7. Nico Williams
Nico Williams announced himself to audiences outside of Spain at Euro 2024, where he devastated full backs en route to silverware with La Roja. The Athletic Club star only managed three goal contributions at the tournament, but was arguably his side’s most significant player due to his adroitness.
Stand off him? He’ll burn you with raw speed. Get too close? He’ll slalom past you at will. There is simply no stopping Williams once he’s hit his stride, the Spaniard generally leaving a trail of destruction in his wake as he scurries towards the opposition goal.
6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
There’s a reason that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia earned the moniker ‘Kvaradona’ during his time in Italy. Sure, he also donned the fabled blue of Napoli, but it was his close control and tremendous speed that saw him likened to Argentinian legend Diego Maradona.
Kvaratskhelia is not an incredibly graceful dribbler, unlike Maradona, instead darting beyond challenges with an unrivalled tenacity and robustness. There’s a street footballer quality to Paris Saint-Germain’s Georgian star, whose industry matches his skill.
5. Ousmane Dembélé
Ousame Dembélé looked unlikely to ever make good on his staggering potential, but his return to France proved a defining shift in the narrative surrounding the gifted winger. He’d always dazzled with his astonishing two-footedness and thunderous shooting ability, but consistency was his major barrier to greatness.
The Frenchman has discovered that consistency at PSG, while also showcasing his versatility by performing a multitude of roles across the front line. Wherever he features, he evades defenders with ease and spins past challenges without breaking stride, gliding across the grass in a manner that’s ever so easy on the eye.
There’s a reason he’s now a Ballon d’Or winner.
4. Kylian Mbappé
There are not many qualities that Kylian Mbappé doesn’t possess. Speed? Tick. Finishing ability? Tick. Sauntering past defenders easily with a drop of the shoulder or body feint? Tick.
Mbappé honed his dribbling ability during his time on the wing at PSG, the position in which he’s arguably most effective. Having said that, he’s been sensational through the middle for Real Madrid, using his blend of deftness and lightning speed to wreak havoc on centre backs.
The Frenchman is so talented that the sheer volume of goals he scores takes centre stage rather than his technical artistry.
3. Vinícius Júnior
Vinícius Júnior’s explosive speed and astonishing dribbling ability have proven too much for defenders to handle. He best demonstrated his prowess during the 2023–24 season as led Real Madrid to Champions League and La Liga glory, narrowly and controversially missing out on the Ballon d’Or at the end of the calendar year.
Former Madrid boss and current Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti helped offer Vinícius the freedom needed to hurt defenders, with the winger best when given as few tactical instructions as possible. He plays with trademark South American enthusiasm and is often best left to his own devices.
2. Jamal Musiala
Jamal Musiala doesn’t boast the same speed as others on our list, but he does possess an astonishing repertoire of tricks and is one of the most press resistant players on the planet. There are few—if any—players with a better touch in tight spaces than the German attacking midfielder, who can break out of even the most inescapable gaps.
The Bayern Munich star oozes class, drifting beyond opposition defenders with the grace of a ballerina. Whether in wide areas or the No.10 position, Musiala is joyous to watch as he navigates the desperate lunges of his victims. He’s an unstoppable force once in full flow.
1. Lamine Yamal
Lamine Yamal’s ascent to the summit of world football has been truly staggering. The Spaniard has become renowned for scoring worldies and breaking records, but his most impressive attribute is his supreme dribbling ability.
Yamal plays with unbridled joy and an infectious sense of self-belief, and it’s easy to see why the starlet is so confident. He blitzes full backs with little fuss courtesy of his breakneck speed and ability to change direction in a split second.
Despite finishing second in the 2025 Ballon d’Or vote, the Barcelona star is undoubtedly the most enjoyable player on the planet to watch, capturing the imagination like few others since the turn of the century.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 15 Best Dribblers in World Soccer—Ranked.